DISCLAIMER: Nico di Angelo belongs to Rick Riordan.
Chapter 1
Like all couples, we used to fight. But we fought like two wild animals trying to kill each other. Recently, it got worse. It usually started with a small argument about the mess in the rooms and ended up with jealousy and accusing each other of being unfaithful. He would come home late from work and I would be busy with my paintings, locked up in a room. Sometimes we wouldn't see each other for days even though we lived together. He would run off to the underworld and wouldn't return for weeks. Yes, my boyfriend, Nico Di Angelo was a demigod. Not just any demigod, he was the son of Hades.
When we first got together he was the sweetest guy on earth. He never hurt me, and always made sure I was safe and felt secure. What happened to that man, you may ask. I don't blame him for what he had become. The war changed everyone, some for the better and some for worse. Many had lost everything. Nico, however, had it the worst. Old memories die hard. Memories of the battle, old wounds were reopened. He started drinking a lot. He never hit me, not yet at least, but he did raised his voice often. I put up with it most of the time understanding his plight, but other times it hurt, and I'm not one to sit quietly and let people jerk me around, so I yelled back. I don't remember when was the last time he held me and told me he loved me. Those memories were so far away, fading with time. Almost like a vague dream. I clung onto it as if my life depended on it. Maybe it did. It was difficult imagining my life without Nico.
My friends often told me to dump him. They said there will come a time when he will do it himself. They don't know his true story, but they do know that he has been through a lot. I've considered it. Many times I'd find myself packing to move out, leaving him with nothing but a note. But then, I think of all the trouble, pain and sorrow he has gone through. Deep down I know he loves me and I know that the man I love is still there somewhere. I may be just human, but I promised myself that I would chase away the faceless monsters haunting him. No matter what, he was always my world, my life. He was all I needed to be happy.
I heard the main door open and close signalling his arrival. Surprisingly he wasn't drunk. A sense of relief flooded into my system. 'We are making progress', I thought to myself. He stared at me for a while. Did I mention how good his poker face was? Well, it's probably one of the best I've seen. He slowly walked towards me and pulled me against his strong frame. He whispered into my ear in that voice that makes any girl go weak in the knee and he said those three words I've been dying to hear, "I love you".
Those three words brought hope and happiness into me once again. I knew things will never be how they were, but they will get better with time. His very sober presence made me high like I've never been before. I never realised until now that Nico was and still is my very own drug. He is my nicotine.